ARC Magazine | Contemporary Caribbean Visual Art & Culturehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 16:01:22 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5Call for applications: International Leadership Program in Visual Arts Managementhttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/call-for-applications-international-leadership-program-in-visual-arts-management/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=call-for-applications-international-leadership-program-in-visual-arts-management
http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/call-for-applications-international-leadership-program-in-visual-arts-management/#commentsTue, 31 Mar 2015 16:00:52 +0000ARC Magazinehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/?p=49806The International Leadership Program in Visual Arts Management (ILPVAM) is an exciting and unparalleled advanced art and business executive certificate program offered by three leading institutions with specialties in visual arts, global markets, and business: the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (New York University, US); Deusto Business School (University of Deusto, Spain); and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (Bilbao, Spain). The deadline for applications is April 14, 2015.

Image courtesy of New York University.

ILPVAM comprises two eight-day modules taught in English by experts in their respective fields over the course of five months, and is conducted in Europe and America. The location of these intensive modules, in Bilbao and New York, provides an exceptional immersive on-site experience.

ILPVAM offers a global scope and local knowledge of markets, a high-level forum for debate, discussion, and engagement with an international network of senior practitioners and experts, andinternational networking as key elements in the development of knowledge among participants.

The program is aimed at professionals with at least five years of relevant experience in the field of visual arts or related arts disciplines. Candidates with significant work experience in other areas, and interest in advancing their career in this field, will also be considered.

Completion of the two modules leads to the award of a Program Certificate by the University of Deusto and New York University.

]]>http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/call-for-applications-international-leadership-program-in-visual-arts-management/feed/0Open Source Gallery presents Jasmine Murrell: Some Impossibility Without A Namehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/open-source-gallery-presents-jasmine-murrell-some-impossibility-without-a-name/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=open-source-gallery-presents-jasmine-murrell-some-impossibility-without-a-name
http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/open-source-gallery-presents-jasmine-murrell-some-impossibility-without-a-name/#commentsTue, 31 Mar 2015 10:00:26 +0000ARC Magazinehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/?p=49793Jasmine Murrell presents ‘Some Impossibility Without A Name’, an installation for Open Source Gallery, Brookyln, NY. How can we begin again at the end? Where is the beginning of nothingness? Where is the end of our illusions dressed as mass media and 24-hour TV? How bad did it hurt before — or are we just moving in waves? ‘Some Impossibility Without A Name’ is inspired by the undercurrent that holds us all, the substance older than thought, the elements we are made of and will eventually return to. The exhibition opens April 4 from 7-9pm and runs until April 26, 2015.

Murrell manipulates and transforms iconic materials to create alternate forms, constructing new objects, spaces, and realities that reflect our phenomenal way of life. She reframes historic associations that we may have with materials and objects to revisit the past while re-inventing the present. Murrell’s work reminds us of the events and history behind us, as well as the unknowable future that lies ahead. Humanity is constantly shifting and transforming – creating, remembering, forgetting. While it is easily obscured by the commotion of our daily lives, we are all a part of a much larger narrative than what we can see, connected throughout space and time. ‘Some Impossibility Without a Name‘ discovers the indefinable, yet palpable, ways in which trauma manifests and dissolves itself in our memories and histories.

Jasmine Murrell is a New York-based interdisciplinary artist. She received her BFA from the Parson School of Design and her MFA from Hunter College. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally over the past decade in exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, Bronx Museum of the Arts, African-American Museum of Art, Art Basel, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Jasmine’s work has also been published in the New York Times, Amsterdam News, NY1 News, and the Detroit New. She is also a member of the artist collective HOWDOYOUSAYYAMINAFRICAN?, which will be exhibiting at the Rotterdam Museum this spring.

]]>http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/open-source-gallery-presents-jasmine-murrell-some-impossibility-without-a-name/feed/0HOWDOYOUSAYYAMINAFRICAN? at Witte de With Center for Contemporary Arthttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/howdoyousayyaminafrican-at-witte-de-with-center-for-contemporary-art/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=howdoyousayyaminafrican-at-witte-de-with-center-for-contemporary-art
http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/howdoyousayyaminafrican-at-witte-de-with-center-for-contemporary-art/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 16:00:34 +0000ARC Magazinehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/?p=49790Witte de With, Rotterdam, is pleased to host HOWDOYOUSAYYAMINAFRICAN?, a multi-disciplinary arts collective made up of 45 African Diasporic artists who have lived and worked together, in various iterations, for the past twenty years. The collective consists of visual artists, writers, poets, composers, academics, filmmakers and performers from around the world who collaborate across disciplines and cities. Projects conceived and created by this transnational collective ultimately function as laboratories for investigation, production and discourse. The exhibition of their work opens May 21 at 5 pm, and runs until August 23, 2015.

Jasmine Murrell, Immortal Uterus, 2014, courtesy the artist.

Members of the collective will reside in Rotterdam for two months to produce new work, including video and sculptural installations, printed matter, sonic scapes and film shorts. Many of these installations include algorithmically produced sounds, piezoelectric material interactions and visual material from social media, which are explored in relation to the body. By pushing the notion of technology in conjunction with socio-political questions into the physical, sensorial and hence affective realm the Collective is invested in aesthetically emphasizing what writer Sylvia Wynter called “sociogenic principle”. A concept that can be understood as a result of processes of social conditioning and culturally prescribed “sense of the self”, drawing from the work of the writer and activist Frantz Fanon.

The exhibition will be organized around the central question: “What does it mean to be human in a world which is continually contesting ‘certain’ people’s humanity?” and will explore different modes of perception as forms of aesthetic conceptual protest and disobedience to normative orders.The ‘new default’ position, which the collective aims to initiate, opens up a conversation around the multiplicity of our identities. Is it possible to move outside of aesthetic strategies that art, through ideological and institutional framings, has for a long time been complicit with? Can art subvert and truly free the body outside the peripheries of myth and representation to open up a debate that might lead to an understanding of what it “feels to be human”?

The exhibition is curated by Nana Adusei-Poku (Curatorial Fellow, Witte de With and Research Professor in Cultural Diversity at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences), Sienna Shields and Christa Bell of HOWDOYOUSAYYAMINAFRICAN?, together with Defne Ayas (Director, Witte de With) and Natasha Hoare (Associate Curator, Witte de With)

]]>http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/howdoyousayyaminafrican-at-witte-de-with-center-for-contemporary-art/feed/0Call for projects for first Caribbean Film Marthttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/call-for-projects-for-first-caribbean-film-mart/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=call-for-projects-for-first-caribbean-film-mart
http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/call-for-projects-for-first-caribbean-film-mart/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 10:00:36 +0000trinidad+tobago film festivalhttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/?p=49775The call for submissions for the inaugural Caribbean Film Mart, which will take place from 24-27 September 2015, is now open. The Caribbean Film Mart will be held in Port of Spain during the 10th edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), and is seeking Caribbean fiction feature films and creative documentaries in development or pre-production.

The primary goal of the Caribbean Film Mart is to foster direct relationships between the Caribbean and the international film industry, by stimulating and creating viable cinematic co-productions.

The selected filmmakers will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with, and pitch their projects to, international film producers, film commissioners, sales agents and film funds, forging partnerships that can lead to the production and distribution of their films. The Mart will include panel discussions, networking receptions and a location tour, and participants will also be invited to attend the ttff/15 awards ceremony.

All applications must be for projects in development or pre-production to be made in the Caribbean. Either the producer or the director must be a Caribbean citizen or resident, or from the Caribbean diaspora, or an international filmmaker living and working in the Caribbean.

All submissions for the Caribbean Film Mart must be made online here no later than 22 May 2015. There is no submission fee.

The Caribbean Film Mart will be held in English, with interpreters provided as needed. Application materials should be submitted in English. If you have any questions, visit our FAQ page.

The project is co-financed by the ACP Cultures+ Programme, funded by the European Union (European Development Fund) and implemented by the ACP Group of States.

Additional details of the Caribbean Film Mart

The 22 May deadline for all submissions will be strictly followed. Filmmakers should not submit projects that do not fulfill the stated criteria. The ttff reserves the right to determine the eligibility of the submissions. Selected projects will be notified by the end of June.

Filmmakers are advised that the chances of making successful contacts during the Caribbean Film Mart are increased by a clear presentation of your project and a concrete description of the support or participation required.

Selection criteria:

The main criteria for selection are the viability and quality of the projects and the demonstrable talent of the directors and/or producers.

Each project will be considered on its own merits.

If selected for the Caribbean Film Mart, a completed screenplay (for fiction projects) must be submitted to the ttff by August 15th.

Again, the project MUST be made in the CARIBBEAN and either the producer or the director must be a Caribbean citizen or resident, or from the Caribbean diaspora, or an international filmmaker living and working in the Caribbean.

Specific conditions:

For selected projects, one representative, either the producer or director, must be present for the duration of the Caribbean Film Mart.

Selected projects will receive industry accreditation for the Caribbean Film Mart.

Economy class airfare and accommodation will be provided for one representative per project for successful overseas participants.

You may only apply if your film is still in the development or pre-production stage. However, if you have shot a teaser or trailer, you may still be eligible to apply.

If you are selected, you must submit your completed script by August 15th.

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) celebrates films from and about the Caribbean and its diaspora, as well as from world cinema, through an annual festival and year-round screenings. In addition, the ttff seeks to facilitate the growth of Caribbean cinema by offering a wide-ranging industry programme and networking opportunities.

]]>http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/call-for-projects-for-first-caribbean-film-mart/feed/0Call for Papers: A two-day colloquium on the ‘Ministry of Design’http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/call-for-papers-a-two-day-colloquium-on-the-ministry-of-design/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=call-for-papers-a-two-day-colloquium-on-the-ministry-of-design
http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/call-for-papers-a-two-day-colloquium-on-the-ministry-of-design/#commentsSun, 29 Mar 2015 20:00:34 +0000ARC Magazinehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/?p=49801The Visual Arts Unit of the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, UWI St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad welcomes papers for the colloquium entitled: ‘Ministry of Design – from cottage industry to state enterprise’, which will take place on May 28 and 29, 2015. The objective of this colloquium is to generate public discussion on the different ways that the Ministry of Design can lend its support to initiatives. Abstracts are to be submitted by March 31, 2015. If selected, the full paper is due by May 8, 2015.

Design is a multi-faceted global industry that affects all our lives on a daily basis – from the design of best vehicular path to negotiate Port of Spain traffic during Carnival, to signage on the path, to the design of a mobile app to solve that challenge. The design process is practiced on all levels of society and its impact is visible everywhere. Research suggests that design has a significant positive effect on the economies of countries by making industries more competitive, by stimulating manufacturing, as a tool for social development or even by addressing issues such as improving basic systems such as health infrastructure, crime prevention, education and transport. In Trinidad and Tobago, however, the general public often understands design to relate primarily to fashion, Carnival and graphic design and often does not see how design can impact the wider economy, even though, this same public interfaces with well designed products on a daily basis, for example through a mobile phone, or a well-designed car etc.

Trinidad and Tobago currently has no design policies and programmes though there is a focus on innovation and competitiveness. What if the government of Trinidad and Tobago directed substantial financial investment towards design initiatives on a national level? If there were a Ministry of Design in Trinidad and Tobago, how could this Ministry encourage and stimulate design, and create an awareness of its importance among the general population and other Ministries? We invite designers and non-designers to share their thoughts on this theme at this colloquium by contributing a paper of 2000 – 6000 words.

The objective of this colloquium is to generate public discussion on how can this Ministry of Design support:

• Design for the Individual
• Design for the Home
• Design for Education
• Design for Business
• Design for Social Good
• Design Development /Sustainability
• Design practice
• Design Futures
• Urban design
• Sustainable design
• Other relevant areas

Interested presenters are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 250 words, accompanied by a cover page which must include: (i) the title of the paper; (ii) the author’s name, (ii) author’s contact information (email and telephone numbers) and bio-data of no more than 100 words.

Full papers should be 2000 – 6000 words (Image-rich papers are welcomed). Presentations during the colloquium will be 15 minutes long.

Submission deadlines:

Abstracts are to be submitted by: March 31st 2015
Notification of acceptance: April 6th 2015
Full papers due by: May 8th 2015
Peer Feedback: May 20th 2015
Colloquium: May 28th and 29th

For further information, or to submit an abstract kindly contact: Roberta Quarless
Department of Creative and Festival Arts
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine Campus
St. Augustine Trinidad & Tobagoroberta.quarless@sta.uwi.edu

]]>http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/call-for-papers-a-two-day-colloquium-on-the-ministry-of-design/feed/0Top Rank Magazine presents Nakeya Brown’s NYC debut exhibitionhttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/top-rank-magazine-presents-nakeya-browns-nyc-debut-exhibition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-rank-magazine-presents-nakeya-browns-nyc-debut-exhibition
http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/top-rank-magazine-presents-nakeya-browns-nyc-debut-exhibition/#commentsSun, 29 Mar 2015 16:00:06 +0000ARC Magazinehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/?p=49772Top Rank Magazine, Brooklyn is pleased to present ‘In Private Moments’, an exhibition of works by Nakeya Brown, at FiveMyles Gallery. ‘In Private Moments’ will run from April 10-12, 2015, with an opening reception on April 10 from 6-9pm, hosted by Afropunk. On April 12 at 4pm, Kimberly Drew, founder of ’Black Contemporary Art’, will moderate a talk with the artist. This is Nakeya Brown’s first solo show and her New York City debut.

In the photographic and installation works featured in ‘In Private Moments‘, Brown engages with the fraught cultural politics of hair and beauty. Her pastel colored and minimally composed still-life portraits evoke the duality of emotions associated with black women’s relationship with hair maintenance and aesthetics — happiness and pain; beauty and sacrifice; collectivity and alienation. Approaching the subject matter through a feminist frame, Nakeya’s work focuses on the objects and rituals that black women use to construct their identities.
On April 12, Top Rank Magazine has selected a group of women ages 14-18 from the New York City area to participate in a portraiture workshop with Brown. Participants will work closely with the artist to produce and print their own portraits, as well as discuss the broader social issues raised in Brown’s work.

“As black women, there are these processes that we do, sort of in secrecy and behind doors. I wanted to bring that aspect of our lives into a space, [so] that it can be talked about and it can be looked at,” said Brown about ‘In Private Moments’.

About the artist:

Nakeya Brown was born in Santa Maria, California in 1988. Her work has been exhibited at the McKenna Museum of African American Art, Woman Made Gallery, Vivid Solutions Gallery, and Mason Gross Gallery. Brown’s work has been reviewed by The Washington City Paper, African & Afro-Diasporan Art Talks, ForHarriet, and has been published by international publications Hysteria and Tonelit.

About Top Rank Magazine:

Top Rank Magazine is a Brooklyn based biannual publication that profiles women of diverse backgrounds who are driving, shaping, and challenging the world around them. Top Rank women are leaders in the arts, academia, social justice, technology, and fashion worlds. Our publication strives to promote a culture of support and collaboration among creative women while celebrating their distinct contributions.

Joshua Lue Chee Kong in his studio space at Red Gate. All images courtesy of the artist.

CR: You’re originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, but have Chinese ancestry and relatives still living in China. Had you been to China often before this residency?

JLCK: It is true that I am from Trinidad and Tobago, I am a second generation Trinidadian as my father was also born here. However my mom is from China, as well as my grandparents on both sides of the family. I have been to China on many occasions before doing this residency. My first trip was in 1994 when I was six years old to visit my maternal family who are Hakka Chinese living in Qingxi Village, Guangdong. As for Beijing, this would make it the second time I have been to city since 2004, where it seemed like a different place before the Olympics.

CR: You went to Shanghai with your father in 2010, and then continued to travel the country, documenting the journey in your photographic book1.3 Billion + 1.Tell us a bit more about this project.

JLCK: Yes I almost forgot I did that project, it was really a fun little project documenting my time in China, the consumerism, the vast numbers of people and the raw exposure of the culture. The primary purpose of that trip was to see the Shanghai World Expo that was happening around that time, as my father really wanted to see it. I personally didn’t really enjoy it that much, as we were part of a tour that entire time. It felt too manufactured, a controlled tourist trap that forced you to buy more stuff, which is not a good combination for me. Thinking back I think I did this book just to take my mind away from that stressful moment. As I enjoy the experience of the moment and having an unguided trip to any space I visit, as it creates better memories for myself.

CR: What motivated you to undertake a residency at Red Gate?

JLCK: I undertook the residency at Red Gate because it was located in Beijing, which for me was the center for Chinese contemporary art, where Red Gate is the largest contemporary gallery in Beijing. Since this would be my first international residency, I thought it would be perfect to view China without my family or the guided tours. Another reason is that I have been following artists such as Yue Minjun, Zhang Huan and Ai Weiwei online, and their work have fascinated me as their each offer their own perspective on the present Chinese culture. Which is why I wanted to get my own exposure of the culture and see what I can take away from that experience.

CR: Your practice spans across photography, design, sculpture, and activism. Did you plan on exploring a specific project idea in China, or were you looking for inspiration on the spot?

JLCK: Creativity is my outlet in exploring my surroundings and I experiment with many different ideas. However my one main objective was travelling to Guangdong province, to find out more about the Hakka Chinese culture and about my family history. Returning to Trinidad, I plan on making new work based on my time there at Beijing and writing about my discoveries.

CR: Tell us a bit about the project(s) you worked on while you were there.

JLCK: Being in Beijing I was able to do some research on my family bloodline, as I was able to visit my family in Qingxi village. It was there, I was shown the ancestral hall that belonged to my family for the last 300 years. That was something really special and I was able to photograph that entire moment. The details of the buildings and the green enamel name plates of the previous generations on the altar. This was totally new to me as I was never shown this and it is amazing what you can discover once you know what to look for. I also did some small sculptures on some Kidrobot Munnies I got, which were based on the Buddhist statues and architecture. Yonghegong (Lama temple) is a perfect example, where I got most of my inspiration. During an opening at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, there was few demonstrations about 3D printing and I was able to collaborate with one of the companies to help 3D scan my sculptures. Now I am able to have a 3D record of my work and the ability to reproduce my work through 3D printing.

CR: You stated that part of your interest in applying to Red Gate’s residency was to delve more into your Chinese-Caribbean identity. How did you perception change after your residency? It’s an almost impossible question, but do feel more Caribbean, more Chinese, or neither as a result?

JLCK: You really got me between a boulder and the great wall with this complex question. One needs to imagine the confused looks of the locals as I try to explain where I am from and why do I look Chinese while I was not born in China creating an identity paradox for them. This happens very often and the shock looks of having someone speaking to you in Chinese only to realize that you do not know the language. It is intriguing how one’s identity can morph based on their appearance or language. For instance in Trinidad I am referred to as a “Chinee” while ironically in China I am anything but Chinese as I have been called Korean, Japanese or Indonesian because of the larger diversity of Asians that can be found in China as compared to Trinidad and Tobago with a population of 1.3 million people. With China having a population of a few billion citizens, it has been easy for me to blend with the general population. Creating a sort of natural disguise for myself as an outside observer. It is a unique ability that takes advantage of this identity paradox fostering my creative process as it impacts my experience of the space on a subconscious level. To put it simply I am Trinidadian, I can’t escape from that truth since it is already ingrained in me but at the same time I don’t deny my Chinese origins.

CR: You’ve campaigned to preserve a historic church in Port of Spain, and documented demolition in Savannah, Georgia. How did you react to Beijing’s approach to landmark preservation and demolition?

JLCK: My stay in Beijing was not long enough to see any demolition first hand. However I have seen the aftermath of some Hutongs being destroyed and some being converted for commercial use. Therefore I think Beijing dances on a find thread between progress and preservation, as I think the government has a understanding how these historic sites can bring income to the city with tourism. This does not happen in Trinidad as many of the historic buildings are not utilized properly or have fallen to disrepair because of the lack of maintenance. There is no proper recognition of our history, as most do not see the value of it.

My campaign to save Greyfriars church in Port of Spain, Trinidad was an uphill battle from the get-go and give me first hand experience of the ugly side of progress. As I knew that it was not going to be preserved from what I have read in the local newspaper from the owner. Lucky for me I am member of Citizens for Conservation, an NGO with a lot of passionate people that are in favor of preserving of what past still remains. We still have a long way to go and it will be a challenge to change that habit as we move into the future.

CR: Did your work or practice change significantly from your time in China?

JLCK: I don’t think my work changed because of my time in China, as my work is always changing no matter the circumstances and also that my stay in Beijing was too short to have any major impact in my work. However I must say I got more inspiration for my work as a designer and as a sculptor from being in the city. It also helps to have a camera as I am able to photo document all of the things that inspired me.

CR: Did you have a chance to show work in Beijing, as part of an open studio or an exhibition?

JLCK: I think I came at a bad time to Beijing to show any work, as it was both winter and Chinese Lunar New Year. Maybe the next time I go to Beijing will plan things better.

CR: Did collaborations occur with other Red Gate Residents?

JLCK: During my residency I was able to interact with the other residents and have many lengthy discussions about art and about each other’s work, which was a big bonus for me. I am also currently working on collaboration with one of the artists and is still very much a work in progress.

CR: What was Red Gate like as a place to work? What was the atmosphere like in the studios? What did you think of Beijing’s creative and artistic scenes?

JLCK: The studio that I was stayed at was located in Fei Jia Cun, an immigrant village on the outskirts of Beijing. It has a small community of local and international artists in that area which adds a good mix for the space. It was great seeing these other artists working in their studios and also the village life was quite an experience itself, as I got to see a whole other side of Beijing, which you don’t see on the tourist brochures.

Beijing artist scene is very progressive because of the constant exchange of international artists interacting with the local artists in spaces like I:Project Space and Intelligentsia Gallery. Two very independent art spaces located in the hutongs, both run by very passionate artists and curators. It is because of spaces like these that will make Beijing an art center for a new generation of artists.

CR: Overall, what experience, adventure or encounter will stay with you from this time?

JLCK: The one experience I will never forget was being at a rooftop house party in Beijing for Chinese New Year. There were fireworks the day before New Years but as soon as the clock hit midnight, the city was literally covered in a layer of colorful explosions. With the smell of burnt fireworks and the array of lights that reflects off from the buildings; creates a very magical landscape I have never before witnessed. While on the streets, people were lighting firecrackers and the shopkeepers near Yonghegong Lama Temple were burning paper blessings for the New Year.

CR: Did you feel like two months were enough time to accomplish what you’d set out to do, or do you feel like more time would have been beneficial?

JLCK: I do not think two months was enough for what I had to do and ideally three to six months would be better, but unfortunately I am not able to fund myself for that long period. However, I did the most I could have done during my residency and I think that was enough for the amount of time I was given.

CR: Are you interested in going back and spending more time in China?

JLCK: I am always going back to China to see family and China is really too big of a place to just go once.

]]>http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/china-residencies-shares-joshua-lue-chee-kong-at-red-gate-residency/feed/0THRU CONTEMPORARY ARTS presents ‘People Textures Environments’ in Colognehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/thru-contemporary-arts-presents-people-textures-environments-in-cologne/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thru-contemporary-arts-presents-people-textures-environments-in-cologne
http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/thru-contemporary-arts-presents-people-textures-environments-in-cologne/#commentsSat, 28 Mar 2015 16:00:05 +0000ARC Magazinehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/?p=49750‘People Textures Environments’ is an international exhibition featuring the permanent art collection of the non-profit Trinidad and Tobago-based organization THRU CONTEMPORARY ARTS. The collection includes works from the USA, Germany, Hong Kong and Trinidad and Tobago, and ranges from mixed media, collage, photography, digital, installation and paintings to embroidery. It will be held at Q18 Quartier Am Hafen, Cologne, with an opening reception on Saturday, April 11 from 5-8pm. The exhibition runs until April 19, 2015.

In keeping with its mission THRU CONTEMPORARY ARTS hopes to open a dialog about contemporary art and creative approaches to addressing societal issues in various countries. People Textures Environments links the commonality of human experience, using art, be it representational or abstract, to discuss people’s concerns and environments. For example, artist Adele Todd‘s embroidery series “Police and Teif” examines crime and punishment in her native Trinidad and Tobago. Meanwhile, Clary Estes’ photography series, “People’s Health” looks at the health care system in the People’s Republic of China and the disparity between the haves and haves-not. Abstract media artists such as GA Gardner, from Trinidad and Tobago and Judith Ganz, from Germany use mixed media techniques and abstract and surreal approaches to interpret their surroundings, allowing the observer to discover themselves in the works’ rich textures, content and color.

The organization shares its permanent collection with galleries, museums and public art spaces around the world. People Textures Environments launches the organization’s efforts in this area. THRU CONTEMPORARY ARTS timed this exhibition to coincide with the iconic Art Cologne as a way to further encourage and expand artistic exchange.

]]>http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/thru-contemporary-arts-presents-people-textures-environments-in-cologne/feed/0NOCTAMBULES: the hidden transcriptshttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/noctambules-the-hidden-transcripts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=noctambules-the-hidden-transcripts
http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/noctambules-the-hidden-transcripts/#commentsSat, 28 Mar 2015 10:00:21 +0000ARC Magazinehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/?p=49712‘NOCTAMBULES: the hidden transcripts’ is an exhibition of photographs by Josué Azor curated by David Frohnapfel. Haiti’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities have long kept a low profile because of a strong social stigma that sparks fear of physical violence or social isolation. The Caribbean in general was often labeled as one of the most homo and transphobic regions in the world. In April 2015 the forum transculturel d’art contemporain will discuss the theme Creation & Counterpower.

As part of this conceptual framework the exhibition project ‘NOCTAMBULES: the hidden transcripts’ will ask which social processes mark the LGBT community in Port-au-Prince as deviant and how homosexuality can manifest itself as a powerful counter-culture in this hostile and heteronormative environment. Which are the hidden transcripts (James Scott) and communal bonds the LGBT community in Port-au-Prince creates to resist marginalization and heal the wounds of permanent sexual oppression? Can art be a mechanism to escape the heteronormative matrix of power by developing particular queer aesthetic sensibilities? Can we find certain aesthetic codes that resist against a hetero-centrist colonialization of the visual arts?

Josué Azor‘s photographs document how an engagement celebration of two men was violently interrupted by homophobic attacks and juxtaposes these disturbing images of violence with the joyful celebrations of gay youth in Port-au-Prince at night. These juxtapositions of violence and release create awareness of queer infrapolitics and reflect on the socio-political disobedience of men and women in Haiti who search for possibilities to escape social discrimination and oppression by a dominant hetero-patriarchy.

]]>http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/noctambules-the-hidden-transcripts/feed/0Ingleby Gallery presents a Frank Walter exhibitionhttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/ingleby-gallery-presents-a-frank-walter-exhibition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ingleby-gallery-presents-a-frank-walter-exhibition
http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2015/03/ingleby-gallery-presents-a-frank-walter-exhibition/#commentsFri, 27 Mar 2015 15:00:16 +0000ARC Magazinehttp://arcthemagazine.com/arc/?p=49759The Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, presents an exhibition of work by Antiguan artist Frank Walter, running from March 28 – May 23, 2015. The private view will take place on Friday, March 27, 2015 from 6-8pm.

Francis Archibald Wentworth Walter, self-styled 7th Prince of the West Indies, Lord of Follies and the Ding-a-Ding Nook, was born in Antigua in 1926. Prodigiously talented as both a writer and artist, his undeniable genius was flawed by delusions of aristocratic grandeur, namely a belief that the white slave owners in his ancestry linked him to the noble houses of Europe, from Charles II to Franz Joseph of Austria and the Dukes of Buccleuch.

Work by Frank Walter.

Work by Frank Walter.

His gifts were the product of a fertile, but fragile, mind. For the last twenty-five years of his life Walter removed himself from society, living in an isolated shack on an Antiguan hillside, part of which will be recreated in the gallery for this exhibition. Walter died in 2009 leaving a legacy of some 25,000 closely-typed pages of his thoughts on every conceivable subject including autobiography, history, philosophy, religion and science, alongside several hundred extraordinary paintings and carvings that speak with an unmistakable voice.

The exhibition will present the most comprehensive view, yet, of Frank Walter the artist; assembled from private collections, and from the artist’s estate. Among the highlights of the exhibition are Walter’s figure paintings - including his bizarre vision of what might have happened if Hitler should have visited the Caribbean and his Tiny Landscapes, of which he painted hundreds, always a precise 10 by 8.5 cm on a rectangle of card cut from the back of a box of Polaroid film. Many of these were influenced by a visit to Scotland in the early 1950s, which marked the beginnings of a life-long affection for the country.

Walter’s work was exhibited alongside paintings by Alfred Wallis and Forrest Bess in the exhibition Songs of Innocence and Experience at Ingleby Gallery in 2013, and, since then his work has been widely acknowledged as one of the most distinctive discoveries in the recent history of Caribbean art.